Bony Levy

Ali shares how she and Isaiah filled their big day with plenty of sparkle and shine.

Location:Chambers Bay Golf Course. University Place, Washington. After the first time I visited Chambers Bay in 2007, I knew this was the location I would get married at some day. I was awestruck by its beauty; the captivating scenery overlooking the Puget Sound is simply breathtaking.

Our Theme: The theme of our wedding was “sparkle and shine.” Many DIY details were executed by my talented mother who spent hours glittering/spray painting candlesticks, vases and “love” signs. She also created a one-of-a-kind bridal bouquet from vintage brooches and charms that have been passed down for generations. My sister-in-law also spent hours glittering homemade cake pops and candies for the dessert table.

We really wanted our day to be a celebration of our love and it was just that!

Will proposed to me on a perfect summer day in Walla Walla on August 31, 2012. He proposed to me with a stunning Bony Levy ring from Nordstrom, who we also used to make a custom wedding band to go with my engagement ring. When we began planning our wedding, we knew we wanted to relive that beautiful day with our family and friends, so we decided on an outdoor wedding a year to the day that he proposed.

When we envisioned our day, we saw a day filled with love and fun for our family and friends and a style that reflected us as a couple. I consider myself to be relatively crafty, so making our own decorations and adding lots of little personal touches was a must.

Everything from our invitations to our wine was homemade. Over the last few years, my mom and I have been making homemade wine as a fun hobby. For the wedding, we made six different varietals. Each had a unique label that featured our engagement photos, favorite sayings and our two sweet kitties.

One of my favorite moments was Will’s and my first look. Getting to see him looking incredibly handsome in his suit and seeing the look on his face when we saw me in my dress for the first time was unforgettable. It was wonderful to be able to steal a few moments out of the day to be with each other and truly feel like we were living in the moment.

I had a great experience at the Nordstrom Wedding Suite in downtown Seattle. My stylist did a fabulous job picking up on my style and selected the perfect dress for me. Not only did she help me select the dress, she took fantastic care of all my family. The day was special to me not just because I was selecting my wedding dress, but also because my grandma was able to be there with me.

It was the last truly happy memory I have of her. A week later she was diagnosed with leukemia, and, after a hard-fought battle, she passed away a short month later. I’m forever grateful for the last wonderful day we had together and that she was able to see me in my wedding dress.

On our big day, I wore a strapless lace gown with a sweetheart neckline by James Clifford. I absolutely loved the romantic beauty of lace. It’s such a soft feminine texture, which went perfectly with our romantic garden wedding theme. My shoes were Kate Spade ivory patent leather pumps with the cutest gold bows.

I didn’t want to wear a veil, because it felt too formal for our wedding, but I still wanted some sort of head piece for the extra glam. A friend suggested I look up Serephine and boy, did I fall in love. Her work is unique and gorgeous and was exactly what I was looking for. The best part about it was Nordstrom had recently started carrying her products in their Wedding Suites.

My favorite accessory was my necklace. It was a locket my grandpa had given to my grandma many years ago. He had it engraved with their initials and put a picture of the two of them inside it. It was such a sweet, special piece to wear and remember them as I was missing them both dearly on our wedding day.

My bridesmaids wore two different styles of Donna Morgan chiffon strapless dresses from the Wedding Suite. The peachy color was perfect for an outdoor summer wedding. It was fun, fresh and provided a soft contrast to the lush green backdrop in our photos. My stylist and I also picked out simple, classic gold necklaces with a single pearl and gold earrings with two large drop pearls for them to wear. I gave the jewelry to the girls before the wedding as thank-you gifts for being with me on such an important day.

Even the guys got in on the Nordstrom experience! We purchased Aldo brown leather shoes with some sharp details and polka dot socks for them to wear with their suits. Overall, our experience was incredible, and I’m so grateful for all the help and support my stylist, Katie provided throughout our wedding planning!

Our wedding day was more perfect than we could have ever envisioned. We were blessed with a gorgeous Northwest summer day and the presence of our amazing family and friends. The day was filled with love, laughter, tears and joyous times.